CN211892924U

CN211892924U - Vehicle seat

Info

Publication number: CN211892924U
Application number: CN202020087084.8U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 伊东定夫
Original assignee: Toyota Boshoku Corp
Current assignee: Toyota Boshoku Corp
Priority date: 2019-01-16
Filing date: 2020-01-15
Publication date: 2020-11-10
Anticipated expiration: 2030-01-15
Also published as: JP7225812B2; US20200223342A1; JP2020111272A; US11065996B2

Abstract

The utility model provides a seat for vehicle. The vehicle seat is provided with: seat cushion, leg support, drive portion and power transmission mechanism. A leg support frame constituting a framework of the leg support is rotatably assembled to a cushion frame constituting a framework of the seat cushion. The driving section has an output shaft capable of outputting a rotational driving force, and the leg support frame has a collapsing mechanism capable of deforming the leg support between the deployed state and the non-deployed state. The power transmission mechanism includes a pinion fixed to the output shaft and a first sector gear meshed with the pinion. Rotation and deformation of the leg support is achieved by connecting the first sector gear with a drive link of the pantograph mechanism.

Description

Vehicle seat

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a vehicle seat, and more particularly to a vehicle seat provided in a vehicle such as an automobile.

Background

Conventionally, vehicle seats having various structures have been proposed, and as one of them, a vehicle seat provided with a leg support is known. The leg rest is assembled to the front end portion of the seat cushion, and thus functions as a leg rest (i.e., a leg rest) that supports the legs of the occupant. In general, the leg rest has a deployment mechanism to be deformable between a deployed state and a non-deployed state, and is used as a leg rest by deforming the leg rest into the deployed state only when necessary.

As such a vehicle seat provided with a leg rest, for example, there is a structure disclosed in japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2015-160473. In the vehicle seat disclosed in this publication, the deployment mechanism is configured by a so-called pantograph mechanism formed by combining a plurality of links with each other, and the pantograph mechanism is driven by an electric motor as a driving source.

In the vehicle seat disclosed in the above publication, the electric motor and the drive link of the pantograph mechanism are connected by a feed screw mechanism as a power transmission mechanism. In this way, the rotational motion generated by the electric motor is converted into linear motion by the feed screw mechanism and is input to the drive link, and the drive link is driven in the seat front-rear direction, whereby the leg rest is deformed.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The feed screw mechanism is a power transmission mechanism suitable for driving the leg support from the viewpoint of the structure, but is not necessarily an optimal structure from the viewpoint of the transmission efficiency of the movement and the degree of freedom of the arrangement. That is, the feed screw mechanism is generally configured to have low transmission efficiency of motion, and a large space is required for installing the feed screw, and thus the degree of freedom of installation thereof may be extremely limited.

Therefore, in the case of a vehicle seat provided with such a feed screw mechanism, there is a problem that the leg support cannot be driven efficiently, and the degree of freedom in design cannot be secured when viewed as the entire vehicle seat.

In view of the above, it is an object of the present disclosure to provide a vehicle seat having an excellent transmission efficiency of a driving force from a driving portion to a leg rest and an improved degree of freedom in design compared to the conventional one.

A vehicle seat according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes: a base provided on a floor of a vehicle; a seat cushion provided with a seating surface; a leg support member provided with a leg-carrying surface; and a driving part provided with an output shaft capable of outputting a rotational driving force in a forward direction and a reverse direction, respectively; and a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational driving force generated by the output shaft. The seat cushion includes a cushion frame that constitutes a framework of the seat cushion and is assembled to the base, and the leg supporter includes a leg supporter frame that constitutes a framework of the leg supporter and is assembled to a front end portion of the cushion frame. The leg link frame has a telescoping mechanism that is capable of deforming the leg link between an expanded state and a non-expanded state, and the leg link frame is rotatably supported by the seat cushion frame so that the leg link can rotate. The power transmission mechanism includes: a pinion gear fixed to the output shaft; and a first sector gear rotatably supported by the seat cushion frame and meshed with the pinion gear.

In the vehicle seat according to the aspect of the present disclosure, the first sector gear is connected to a drive link of the pantograph mechanism, and the rotational driving force generated in the output shaft is transmitted to the drive link by the pinion gear and the first sector gear, and the leg link is rotated and deformed based on the input of the rotational driving force to the drive link.

The above and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view showing a first usage state of a vehicle seat according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 2 is a schematic side view showing a second use state of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing a state of a skeleton structure of a main portion in a first use state of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a state of a skeleton structure of a main portion in a second use state of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the region V shown in fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a schematic side view showing a state of a skeleton structure of a main portion in a first use state of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 7 is a schematic side view showing a state of a skeleton structure of a main portion in a second use state of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 8 is a schematic side view showing a state of a skeleton structure of a main portion in a first use state of a vehicle seat according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 9 is a schematic side view showing a state of a skeleton structure of a main portion in a second use state of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 10 is a schematic side view showing a state of a skeleton structure of a main portion in a first use state of a vehicle seat according to embodiment 3.

Fig. 11 is a schematic side view showing a state of a skeleton structure of a main portion in a second use state of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 3.

Fig. 12 is a schematic side view showing a state of a skeleton structure of a main portion in a first use state of a vehicle seat according to embodiment 4.

Fig. 13 is a schematic side view showing a state of a skeleton structure of a main portion in a second use state of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 4.

Fig. 14 is a schematic side view showing a state of a skeleton structure of a main portion in a first use state of a vehicle seat according to embodiment 5.

Fig. 15 is a schematic side view showing a state of a skeleton structure of a main portion in a second use state of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 5.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The embodiments described below exemplify a case where the characteristic structure of the present disclosure is applied to a vehicle seat configured as a seat of an automobile. In the embodiments described below, the same or common portions are denoted by the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the drawings, the seat front direction and the seat rear direction are indicated by the X1 direction and the X2 direction, the seat left direction and the seat right direction are indicated by the Y1 direction and the Y2 direction, and the seat up direction and the seat down direction are indicated by the Z1 direction and the Z2 direction, respectively, from the perspective of an occupant as a user seated in the vehicle seat. In the following description, an axis coinciding with the seat front direction X1 and the seat rear direction X2 is referred to as an X axis, an axis coinciding with the seat left direction Y1 and the seat right direction Y2 is referred to as a Y axis, and an axis coinciding with the seat up direction Z1 and the seat down direction Z2 is referred to as a Z axis. The seat width direction coincides with the extending direction of the Y axis.

(embodiment mode 1)

Fig. 1 and 2 are schematic side views showing first and second usage states of a vehicle seat according to embodiment 1. First, a schematic configuration and first and second usage states of the vehicle seat 1A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 1 and 2.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the vehicle seat 1A mainly includes: a base 2, a seat cushion 3, a seat back 4, a headrest 5 and leg rests 6. The base 2 is a structure serving as a base of the vehicle seat 1A, and is provided on a floor 100 of a vehicle. Thus, the vehicle seat 1A is provided on the floor 100 of the vehicle.

The seat cushion 3 is provided on the base 2. The seat back 4 is provided to extend upward from a rear end portion of the seat cushion 3, and the headrest 5 is provided at an upper end portion of the seat back 4. Further, a leg rest 6 is provided at the front end of the seat cushion 3.

The first use state shown in fig. 1 is a use state in which the occupant is seated in the vehicle seat 1A without using the leg rest 6. In the first use state, the seat cushion 3 is disposed in a first seating position described in detail below, and the seat back 4 is disposed in a first reclining position described in detail below. On the other hand, the leg rest 6 is in a non-deployed state described in detail below and is disposed in a stowed position described in detail below.

The second use state shown in fig. 2 is a use state in which the occupant sits on the vehicle seat 1A using the leg rest 6. In the second use state, the seat cushion 3 is disposed in a second seating position described in detail below, and the seat back 4 is disposed in a second reclining position described in detail below. On the other hand, the leg rest 6 is in a deployed state, which will be described later, and is disposed in a use position, which will be described later.

The vehicle seat 1A of the present embodiment includes a drive unit 7 including an electric motor and a power transmission mechanism 8 (see fig. 3, 4, and the like) for transmitting a driving force generated by the drive unit 7, in addition to the base 2, the seat cushion 3, the seat back 4, the headrest 5, and the leg rest 6. The switching between the first use state and the second use state is achieved by transmitting the driving force generated by the driving unit 7 to the seat cushion 3, the leg rest 6, and the like via the power transmission mechanism 8.

Here, as described above, the vehicle seat 1A of the present embodiment is an electric type configuration in which the first use state and the second use state are switched by the driving force of the drive motor, and thus the first use state and the second use state are automatically switched by the occupant operating an operation unit (an operation lever, an operation button, or the like) not shown. The configurations of the drive unit 7 and the power transmission mechanism 8 will be described in detail later.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the base 2 includes a base frame 20 serving as a framework of the base 2 and a slide rail 21. The slide rail 21 is fixed to the floor 100 of the vehicle, and the base frame 20 is supported by the slide rail 21 so as to be movable in the X-axis direction. Thus, the entire vehicle seat 1A except for the slide rail 21 can be moved in the seat front-rear direction by operating an operation unit, not shown, or the like.

The seat cushion 3 has a seating surface 3a on which an occupant can sit, and is provided on the base 2 as described above. The seat cushion 3 mainly includes a cushion frame 30 constituting a framework of the seat cushion 3, a cushion pad covering the cushion frame 30, and a cushion cover defining the seating surface 3a by covering the cushion pad. The cushion frame 30 includes a main frame 31 assembled to the base 2 and a sub-frame 32 assembled to the main frame 31.

The seat cushion 3 is rotatably supported by the base 2 so that the front end portion and the rear end portion thereof can swing up and down. Specifically, the main frame 31 is supported by the base frame 20 so as to be rotatable about a first rotation axis O1 extending in the seat width direction as a rotation center in the arrow AR1 direction shown in fig. 1. In addition, the sub-frame 32 is supported by the main frame 31 to be rotatable in the arrow AR2 direction shown in fig. 1 with the second rotation shaft O2 extending in the seat width direction as a rotation center. Thus, the seat cushion 3 is configured to be relatively rotatable with respect to the base 2 between a first seating position shown in fig. 1 and a second seating position shown in fig. 2.

The seat back 4 has a reclining surface 4a on which an occupant can recline, and is provided to extend upward from the rear end of the seat cushion 3 as described above. The seat back 4 mainly includes a back frame 40 constituting a skeleton of the seat back 4, a back pad covering the back frame 40, and a back cover defining the reclining surface 4a by covering with the back pad.

The seat back 4 is rotatably supported by the seat cushion 3 so that a front end portion thereof (i.e., an upper end portion at which the headrest 5 is provided) can swing back and forth. Specifically, the back frame 40 is supported by the seat cushion frame 30 so as to be rotatable about a third rotation shaft O3 extending in the seat width direction as a rotation center in the arrow AR3 direction shown in fig. 1. Thereby, the seat back 4 is configured to be relatively rotatable with respect to the seat cushion 3 between a first reclining position shown in fig. 1 and a second reclining position shown in fig. 2.

Here, the reclining adjuster 9 is provided at a connection portion between the seat cushion frame 30 and the back frame 40. The cushion frame 30 and the back frame 40 are coupled via the reclining adjuster 9, so that the back frame 40 can adjust the relative angle with respect to the cushion frame 30. Thus, the reclining angle of the seat back 4 can be adjusted by operating an operation unit, not shown, or the like.

The headrest 5 is provided at the upper end portion of the seat back 4 as described above, and mainly includes a headrest frame, a headrest pad covering the headrest frame, and a headrest cover covering the headrest pad, which are not shown. The headrest 5 is a portion against which the head of an occupant seated in the vehicle seat 1A abuts.

The leg rest 6 has a leg-supporting surface 6a on which the legs (particularly, the calf) of the occupant can be placed, and is provided at the front end of the seat cushion 3 as described above. The leg rest 6 mainly includes a leg rest frame 60 constituting a skeleton of the leg rest 6, a leg rest pad covering the leg rest frame 60, and a leg rest cover for defining the leg bearing surface 6a by covering the leg rest pad.

The leg rest frame 60 is supported by the cushion frame 30 (more strictly, the main frame 31) so as to be rotatable in the direction of an arrow AR4 shown in fig. 1, with a fourth rotation shaft O4 extending in the seat width direction as a rotation center. The leg rest frame 60 includes a later-described pantograph mechanism 62 (see fig. 3, 4, and the like), and is configured to be telescopically deformable with the fourth rotation axis O4 as a base point.

Along with the rotation and deformation of the leg rest frame 60, the leg rest 6 is configured to be rotatable relative to the seat cushion 3 between the storage position shown in fig. 1 and the use position shown in fig. 2, and is configured to be deformable between the non-deployed state shown in fig. 1 and the deployed state shown in fig. 2. Thus, the leg bearing surface 6a provided on the leg rest 6 is configured to change between the state of fig. 1 facing in the substantially seat front direction (i.e., the X1 direction) and the state of fig. 2 facing in the substantially seat up direction (i.e., the Z1 direction).

Fig. 3 and 4 are schematic perspective views each showing a skeleton structure of a main portion of the vehicle seat according to the present embodiment. Here, fig. 3 shows the skeleton structure in the first use state, and fig. 4 shows the skeleton structure in the second use state. Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the region V shown in fig. 3. Next, the framework structure of the main portion of the vehicle seat 1A according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to fig. 3 to 5, and the drive unit 7 and the power transmission mechanism 8 will be described in detail. In fig. 3 to 5, for the sake of easy understanding, the base frame 20, the seat cushion frame 30, and parts of the back frame 40 and the leg rest frame 60 are not shown, and particularly, in fig. 5, a part of the seat cushion frame 30 is shown in a cut-away state.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the base frame 20 has a pair of left and right side frames 20L and 20R at its upper end. The side frames 20L, 20R are each formed of a press-formed product obtained by press-forming a metal plate such as a steel plate, and are arranged so as to extend in the seat front-rear direction (i.e., the X-axis direction).

As described above, the cushion frame 30 includes the main frame 31 and the sub-frame 32, the main frame 31 is assembled to the base frame 20, and the sub-frame 32 is assembled to the main frame 31.

The main frame 31 has a substantially frame-like shape in plan view, and includes side frames 31L and 31R as a pair of left and right frames, and a front pipe 31F and a rear pipe 31B as a pair of front and rear frames.

The side frames 31L and 31R are each formed of a press-formed product obtained by press-working a metal plate such as a steel plate, and are arranged so as to extend in the seat front-rear direction (i.e., the X-axis direction). The front tube 31F and the rear tube 31B are each formed of a metal cylindrical member such as a steel tube, and are arranged to extend in the seat width direction (i.e., the Y-axis direction). The front pipe 31F connects the front end portions of the side frames 31L, 31R, and the rear pipe 31B connects the rear end portions of the side frames 31L, 31R.

In the present embodiment, in consideration of the assemblability, the side frames 31L and 31R are each formed of a plurality of metal plates (specifically, two metal plates), and the front end portions of the side frames 31L and 31R are each formed of brackets 31La and 31Ra formed of flat plate-like metal plates.

The sub-frame 32 has a substantially U-shape in plan view, and includes a pair of left and right side frames, i.e., side frames 32L and 32R, and a front pipe 32F and a front wire 32W, i.e., a front frame.

The side frames 32L, 32R are each formed of a press-formed product obtained by press-working a metal plate such as a steel plate, and are arranged so as to extend substantially in the seat front-rear direction (i.e., the X-axis direction). The front pipe 32F is formed of a metal cylindrical member such as a steel pipe, and is disposed so as to extend in the seat width direction (i.e., the Y-axis direction). The front wire 32W is made of, for example, a metal wire, and is disposed such that both end portions thereof extend in substantially the seat front-rear direction (i.e., the X-axis direction) and a central portion thereof extends in the seat width direction (i.e., the Y-axis direction). The front pipe 32F is coupled to the front end portions of the side frames 32L, 32R, and the front wire 32W is fixed to the front pipe 32F so as to project from the front pipe 32F in the seat front direction (i.e., the X1 direction).

Here, the rear end portions of the side frames 31L and 31R of the main frame 31 are rotatably coupled to the rear end portions of the side frames 20L and 20R of the base frame 20, respectively. Thereby, the main frame 31 is rotatably supported by the base frame 20 as described above, and the first rotation shaft O1 extends in the seat width direction at the portion where the main frame 31 and the base frame 20 are coupled.

The rear end portions of the side frames 32L and 32R of the sub-frame 32 are rotatably coupled to the rear end portions of the side frames 31L and 31R of the main frame 31, respectively. Thereby, the sub-frame 32 is rotatably supported by the main frame 31 as described above, and the second rotation axis O2 extends in the seat width direction at the portion where the main frame 31 and the sub-frame 32 are coupled.

Therefore, the main frame 31 rotates relative to the base frame 20, and the sub-frame 32 rotates relative to the main frame 31, so that the cushion pad and the cushion cover, not shown, supported by the cushion frame 30 constituted by the main frame 31 and the sub-frame 32 rotate, and the front end portion of the seat cushion 3 can swing up and down.

The back frame 40 has a pair of right and left side frames 40L, 40R. The side frames 40L and 40R are each formed of a press-formed product obtained by press-working a metal plate such as a steel plate, and are arranged to extend substantially in the seat up-down direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction).

Here, the lower end portions of the side frames 40L, 40R of the back frame 40 are rotatably coupled to the rear end portions of the side frames 31L, 31R of the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30, respectively. Thus, the back frame 40 is rotatably supported by the seat cushion frame 30 as described above, and the third rotation shaft O3 extends in the seat width direction at the portion where the seat cushion frame 30 and the back frame 40 are coupled.

Therefore, the front end portion of the seat back 4 can swing back and forth as the backrest cushion and the backrest cover, not shown, supported by the backrest frame 40 are rotated by the rotation of the backrest frame 40 relative to the seat cushion frame 30.

The leg rest frame 60 has: base pipe 61, pantograph mechanism 62 and base plate 63. The pantograph mechanism 62 includes a pair of right and left

cross link mechanisms

62L and 62R formed by combining a plurality of links.

The base pipe 61 is made of a metal cylindrical member such as a steel pipe, and is disposed so as to extend in the seat width direction (i.e., the Y-axis direction). The base pipe 61 is provided so as to bridge the front end portions of the side frames 31L and 31R of the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30, and is rotatably supported by the side frames 31L and 31R. Therefore, the fourth rotation shaft O4 extends in the seat width direction at the portion where the seat cushion frame 30 and the base pipe 61 are coupled.

The

cross link mechanisms

62L and 62R constituting the pantograph mechanism 62 each have a plurality of links including the drive link 62a and the driven link 62b as described above. The driving link 62a transmits the driving force to the other links by receiving the driving force from the outside of the cross link mechanism, and the driven link 62b outputs the driving force transmitted through the other links to the outside of the cross link mechanism.

The

cross link mechanisms

62L, 62R are fixed to the left and right end portions of the front pipe 31F of the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30, and to the left and right end portions of the base pipe 61, respectively. The portions fixed to the left and right ends of the base pipe 61 correspond to the drive links 62 a.

The

cross link mechanisms

62L and 62R have a mirror-symmetrical structure with respect to a plane orthogonal to the seat width direction. Therefore, the

cross link mechanisms

62L and 62R are driven to be interlocked with each other to be expanded and contracted, thereby cooperatively driving the base plate 63 as the output destination.

The plurality of links are each formed of a press-formed product obtained by press-working a metal plate such as a steel plate, and the plurality of links are combined with each other and rotatably connected to each other at predetermined positions thereof to form the

cross link mechanisms

62L and 62R.

The bottom plate 63 is a portion that forms a base of the leg-mounting surface 6a of the leg rest 6, and is formed of a press-formed product obtained by press-working a metal plate such as a steel plate, for example. The base plate 63 is fixed to the follower links 62b of the

respective crossbar linkages

62L and 62R so as to bridge the

crossbar linkages

62L and 62R. Thus, the floor panel 63 is disposed so as to extend in the seat width direction (i.e., the Y-axis direction).

As described above, the base pipe 61 is rotatably supported by the side frames 31L and 31R of the main frame 31, and the drive links 62a of the pair of right and left

cross link mechanisms

62L and 62R are fixed to the base pipe 61. Therefore, the leg rest frame 60 rotates about the fourth rotation axis O4 as the rotation center by the rotation of the base pipe 61, and the pantograph mechanism 62 deforms telescopically about the fourth rotation axis O4 as the base point. Then, the leg rest pad and the leg rest cover, not shown, supported by the leg rest frame 60 move, and the leg rest 6 as a whole rotates and deforms.

As shown in fig. 3 to 5, in the vehicle seat 1A of the present embodiment, the drive unit 7 is provided in the vicinity of the front end of the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30. More specifically, the drive unit 7 is assembled to the front end portion of the side frame 31L (the side frame disposed on the left side in the seat width direction) of the main frame 31.

The drive unit 7 includes: an electric motor as a driving source, a speed reducer connected to the electric motor, and an output shaft 70 connected to the speed reducer. The output shaft 70 outputs the driving force generated by the electric motor to the outside of the driving unit 7, and rotates in the forward direction and the reverse direction around the fifth rotation shaft O5 as the center axis thereof upon receiving the transmission of the driving force. Thereby, the output shaft 70 can output the driving force generated by the electric motor and reduced in speed by the speed reducer as the rotational driving force.

On the other hand, the power transmission mechanism 8 is provided at the front end of the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30. Here, the power transmission mechanism 8 is constituted by a pinion gear 80 (see fig. 5), a first sector gear 81, a second sector gear 82, a coupling shaft 83, a pair of left and right

first coupling members

84L, 84R, and a pair of left and right

second coupling members

85L, 85R.

The coupling shaft 83 is made of a metal cylindrical member such as a steel pipe, and is disposed to extend in the seat width direction (i.e., the Y-axis direction). More specifically, the connecting shaft 83 is provided so as to bridge the front end portions of the side frames 31L and 31R of the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30, and is rotatably supported by the side frames 31L and 31R. Thus, the coupling shaft 83 is configured to be rotatable about the sixth rotation shaft O6 extending in the seat width direction.

The pinion gear 80 is fixed to the output shaft 70 of the driving unit 7, and thereby rotates in the forward direction and the reverse direction around the fifth rotation shaft O5 as a rotation center in accordance with the rotation of the output shaft 70. The pinion 80 is made of, for example, a metal member.

The first sector gear 81 is fixed to the left end of the base pipe 61 of the leg support frame 60, and is rotatably supported via the base pipe 61 by the front end portions of the side frames 31L and 31R of the main frame 31 of the seat cushion frame 30. The tooth surface of the first sector gear 81 faces the tooth surface of the pinion gear 80 fixed to the output shaft 70, whereby the first sector gear 81 meshes with the pinion gear 80.

The second sector gear 82 is fixed to a left end portion of the coupling shaft 83, and is rotatably supported via the coupling shaft 83 by front end portions of the side frames 31L and 31R of the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30. The tooth surface of the second sector gear 82 faces the tooth surface of the pinion gear 80 fixed to the output shaft 70, whereby the second sector gear 82 meshes with the pinion gear 80.

Accordingly, the first sector gear 81 and the second sector gear 82 rotate in the forward direction and the reverse direction, respectively, following the rotation of the pinion gear 80. Here, the rotation axis of the first sector gear 81 coincides with the fourth rotation axis O4, and the rotation axis of the second sector gear 82 coincides with the sixth rotation axis O6. The first sector gear 81 and the second sector gear 82 are both made of a metal member.

As shown in fig. 5, the first coupling member 84L disposed on the left side in the seat width direction has one end rotatably coupled to the second sector gear 82 and the other end rotatably coupled to a portion of the side frame 32L (the side frame disposed on the left side in the seat width direction) of the sub-frame 32 of the seat cushion frame 30, the portion being closer to the front end.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the first coupling member 84R disposed on the right side in the seat width direction has one end rotatably coupled to a bracket 83a provided at the right end of the coupling shaft 83, and has the other end rotatably coupled to a position near the front end of the side frame 32R (the side frame disposed on the right side in the seat width direction) of the sub-frame 32 of the seat cushion frame 30.

Thus, the sub-frame 32 and the second sector gear 82 are connected so as to be able to transmit power via the first connecting

members

84L, 84R. Therefore, the sub-frame 32 rotates relative to the main frame 31 about the second rotation axis O2 in accordance with the rotation of the second sector gear 82 in the forward direction and the reverse direction.

As shown in fig. 5, the second coupling member 85L disposed on the left side in the seat width direction has one end rotatably coupled to the second sector gear 82 and the other end rotatably coupled to the front end portion of the side frame 20L (the side frame disposed on the left side in the seat width direction) of the base frame 20.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, the second coupling member 85R disposed on the right side in the seat width direction has one end rotatably coupled to a bracket 83a provided at the right end of the coupling shaft 83, and has the other end rotatably coupled to the front end of the side frame 20R (the side frame disposed on the right side in the seat width direction) of the base frame 20.

Thereby, the base frame 20 and the second sector gear 82 are connected so as to be capable of power transmission via the

second coupling members

85L, 85R. Therefore, the main frame 31 rotatably supporting the second sector gear 82 rotates relative to the base frame 20 about the first rotation axis O1 as the rotation center in accordance with the rotation of the second sector gear 82 in the forward direction and the reverse direction. As a result, the entire seat cushion frame 30 including the main frame 31 and the sub-frame 32 rotates relative to the base frame 20.

Here, the pair of

first coupling members

84L and 84R preferably have a mirror-symmetrical shape with respect to a plane orthogonal to the seat width direction, and the pair of

second coupling members

85L and 85R also preferably have a mirror-symmetrical shape with respect to a plane orthogonal to the seat width direction. The first connecting

members

84L and 84R and the second connecting

members

85L and 85R are each formed of a press-formed product obtained by press-working a metal plate such as a steel plate, for example.

Fig. 6 and 7 are schematic side views showing the state of the skeleton structure of the main portion in the first and second usage states of the vehicle seat according to the present embodiment. Next, the arrangement positions of the seat cushion 3, the seat back 4, and the leg rest 6 and the state of the leg rest 6 in the first and second use states of the vehicle seat 1A according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to fig. 6 and 7 and fig. 1 to 4, and the operation of the vehicle seat 1A when the first use state and the second use state are switched will be described.

Referring to fig. 1, 3, and 6, the first use state is a use state in which the occupant is seated in the vehicle seat 1A without using the leg rest 6 as described above, and in this first use state, the occupant can take a seating posture oriented substantially in the seat front direction (i.e., the X1 direction). On the other hand, referring to fig. 2, 4, and 7, the second use state is a use state in which the occupant is seated in the vehicle seat 1A using the leg rest 6 as described above, and in this second use state, the occupant can take a posture closer to the supine posture toward substantially the upper seat direction (i.e., the Z1 direction).

Here, the seat cushion 3 is disposed at a first seating position (see fig. 1) where the seating surface 3a faces substantially upward in the first usage state, and at a second seating position (see fig. 2) where the seating surface 3a faces diagonally upward and rearward in the second usage state. That is, the second seating position is a position where the front end portion of the seat cushion 3 is disposed above the first seating position.

On the other hand, the seat back 4 is disposed at a first reclining position (see fig. 1) in which the reclining surface 4a faces substantially forward in the first use state, and at a second reclining position (see fig. 2) in which the reclining surface 4a faces obliquely upward and forward in the second use state. That is, the second leaning position is a position where the front end portion (i.e., the upper end portion) of the seat back 4 is arranged at a more rear side than the first leaning position.

On the other hand, the leg rest 6 is disposed at a storage position (see fig. 1) where the leg bearing surface 6a faces substantially forward in the first use state, and is disposed at a use position (see fig. 2) where the leg bearing surface 6a faces substantially upward in the second use state. That is, the use position is a position in which the front end portion of the leg rest 6 (i.e., the lower end portion in the first use state) is raised obliquely upward and forward when compared with the storage position.

The leg rest 6 is in a non-deployed state (see fig. 1) in which the leg rest frame 60 is collapsed by the collapsing mechanism 62 in the first use state, and is in a deployed state (see fig. 2) in which the leg rest frame 60 is extended by the extending mechanism 62 in the second use state.

Further, in the first use state, the leg link 6 is placed at the storage position and brought into the non-deployed state, and thus the leg link 6 is stored below the front end portion of the seat cushion 3, and in the second use state, the leg link 6 is placed at the use position and brought into the deployed state, and thus the leg link 6 is extended forward from the front end portion of the seat cushion 3.

The switching between the first use state and the second use state is achieved by transmitting the driving force generated by the driving unit 7 to the seat cushion 3, the leg rest 6, and the like via the power transmission mechanism 8 as described above. The switching operation will be described in detail below.

As shown in fig. 6 and 7, in the vehicle seat 1A of the present embodiment, the first sector gear 81 and the second sector gear 82 of the power transmission mechanism 8 are disposed so as to sandwich the output shaft 70 of the driving portion 7 in the seat front-rear direction (i.e., the X-axis direction). More specifically, the first sector gear 81 is located forward of the output shaft 70 (i.e., in the X1 direction), and the second sector gear 82 is located rearward of the output shaft 70 (i.e., in the X2 direction).

The base pipe 61 (see fig. 3 to 5) of the leg support frame 60 to which the first sector gear 81 is fixed is disposed on the upper portion of the front end portion of the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30, and the front pipe 31F of the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30 is disposed on the lower portion of the front end portion of the main frame 31. Therefore, the drive link 62a of the pantograph mechanism 62 is fixed to the first sector gear 81 via the base pipe 61 at a position corresponding to an upper portion of the front end portion of the main frame 31.

One end of the first coupling member 84L is coupled to a portion of the second sector gear 82 between the tooth surface thereof and the sixth rotation shaft O6, and the other end of the first coupling member 84L is coupled to a portion of the sub-frame 32 of the seat cushion frame 30, which is closer to the front end of the side frame 32L, at a position substantially above the one end of the first coupling member 84L. Therefore, the first coupling member 84L is provided so as to extend in the substantially seat up-down direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction).

One end of the second coupling member 85L is coupled to a portion of the second sector gear 82 on the opposite side of the tooth surface thereof as viewed from the sixth rotation axis O6, and the other end of the second coupling member 85L is coupled to the front end portion of the side frame 20L included in the base frame 20 at a position substantially below the one end of the second coupling member 85L. Therefore, the second coupling member 85L is provided so as to extend in the substantially seat up-down direction (i.e., the Z-axis direction).

Here, the electric motor of the driving unit 7 is driven by the occupant operating an operation unit not shown, and the output shaft 70 is rotated by a predetermined amount in a predetermined direction in accordance with the driving, thereby switching from the first use state shown in fig. 6 to the second use state shown in fig. 7. Hereinafter, the rotation direction of the output shaft 70 in this case is referred to as a positive direction. The forward direction is counterclockwise in fig. 6 and 7.

Referring to fig. 7, the pinion gear 80 fixed to the output shaft 70 by the output shaft 70 rotating a predetermined amount in the forward direction also rotates a predetermined amount in the forward direction around the fifth rotation axis O5 as the rotation center. Accompanying this, the first sector gear 81 rotates by a predetermined amount in the arrow a direction shown in the figure with the fourth rotation shaft O4 as the rotation center, and the second sector gear 82 rotates by a predetermined amount in the arrow B direction shown in the figure with the sixth rotation shaft O6 as the rotation center.

With the above rotation of the first sector gear 81, a rotational driving force is input to the leg rest frame 60. Specifically, when a rotational driving force is input to the base pipe 61 of the leg rest frame 60 and the driving link 62a via the pinion gear 80 and the first sector gear 81, the leg rest frame 60 rotates in the arrow C direction shown in the figure about the fourth rotation axis O4 as a rotation center.

At this time, a rotational driving force is also input to the driving link 62a, whereby the pantograph mechanisms 62 (i.e., the pair of right and left

cross link mechanisms

62L, 62R) in the collapsed state are extended, and the leg rest frame 60 is deformed from the non-expanded state to the expanded state in accordance therewith.

By the rotation and deformation of the leg rest frame 60, the leg rest 6 is moved from the storage position to the use position.

On the other hand, with the above-described rotation of the second sector gear 82, a rotational driving force is input to the sub-frame 32 of the seat cushion frame 30. Specifically, when a rotational driving force is input to the sub-frame 32 via the pinion gear 80, the second sector gear 82, the coupling shaft 83, and the

first coupling members

84L and 84R, the sub-frame 32 rotates in the direction of the arrow D shown in the figure about the second rotation axis O2 as the rotation center.

On the other hand, as the second sector gear 82 rotates, a rotational driving force is input to the base frame 20, and a reaction force of the rotational driving force is input to the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30. Specifically, when a rotational driving force is input to the base frame 20 via the pinion gear 80, the second sector gear 82, the coupling shaft 83, and the

second coupling members

85L and 85R, a reaction force of the rotational driving force input to the base frame 20 is input to the main frame 31, and based on this, the main frame 31 rotates in the direction of the arrow E shown in the figure about the first rotation axis O1 as the rotation center.

As the main frame 31 rotates, the front end portion of the sub-frame 32 rotates to be further raised, and the back frame 40 provided at the rear end portion of the main frame 31 rotates to be tilted backward.

By the rotation of the cushion frame 30 including the main frame 31 and the sub-frame 32 and the rotation of the back frame 40, the seat cushion 3 is moved from the first seating position to the second seating position, and the seat back 4 is moved from the first reclining position to the second reclining position.

Although the detailed description thereof is omitted, the occupant operates an operation unit, not shown, to drive the electric motor of the driving unit 7, and accordingly, the output shaft 70 rotates by a predetermined amount in the reverse direction of the forward direction, thereby switching from the second use state shown in fig. 7 to the first use state shown in fig. 6. Here, the reverse direction is the clockwise direction in fig. 6 and 7.

With the vehicle seat 1A of the present embodiment described above, the power transmission mechanism 8 that transmits the rotational driving force generated by the output shaft 70 of the driving unit 7 to the drive link 62a of the pantograph mechanism 62 included in the leg link frame 60 can be configured by a so-called gear mechanism that transmits the rotational motion as it is. Therefore, compared to the case where the power transmission mechanism 8 is configured by a feed screw mechanism, not only the transmission efficiency of the motion is dramatically improved, but also the degree of freedom in installation of the power transmission mechanism 8 can be significantly improved. Therefore, the vehicle seat 1A having excellent transmission efficiency of the driving force from the driving portion 7 to the leg rest 6 and having a degree of freedom in design improved compared with the conventional one can be obtained.

Further, by providing the vehicle seat 1A of the present embodiment, without providing a separate driving unit, the main portions of the vehicle seat 1A (i.e., the seat cushion 3 and the seat back 4) except for the leg rest 6 can be rotated in conjunction with the deformation and rotation of the leg rest 6 by the driving unit 7 for driving the leg rest 6 and a part of the power transmission mechanism 8. Therefore, the deformation and rotation of the leg rest 6 and the rotation of the main portion of the vehicle seat 1A can be performed only by using the single driving portion 7, and as a result, a complicated operation of the vehicle seat 1A can be realized with a simple configuration.

In addition, with the vehicle seat 1A according to the present embodiment, when the leg rest 6 moves from the non-deployed state to the deployed state, the front end portion of the seat cushion 3 is rotated so as to rise. Therefore, when the leg rest 6 is used (i.e., in the second use state), the occurrence of a gap (gap mainly generated below the knees of the occupant) between the leg of the occupant and the vehicle seat 1A can be suppressed. As a result, concentration of the pressing force on the seating surface 3a of the portion supporting the hip of the occupant can be reduced, and not only the riding comfort is improved, but also the occupant can be suppressed from sliding forward at the time of deceleration of the vehicle or the like even in a state where the leg portions of the occupant are lifted from the floor 100 of the vehicle by using the leg links 6.

In addition, with the vehicle seat 1A of the present embodiment, when the leg rest 6 moves from the non-deployed state to the deployed state, the main portion of the vehicle seat including the seat cushion 3 and the seat back 4 is rotated rearward at the same time, whereby the front end portion of the seat cushion 3 is raised and the seat back 4 is tilted rearward. Therefore, when the leg rest 6 is used, the occupant can take a posture closer to the supine posture, and a more comfortable posture can be achieved.

In the vehicle seat 1A of the present embodiment, the fifth rotation shaft O5 that is the rotation center of the output shaft 70, the fourth rotation shaft O4 that is the rotation center of the first sector gear 81, and the sixth rotation shaft O6 that is the rotation center of the second sector gear 82 are located on the same plane. In the case of such a configuration, since the load applied from the first sector gear 81 and the second sector gear 82 to the pinion gear 80 can be equalized, the power transmission mechanism 8 including the pinion gear 80, the first sector gear 81, and the second sector gear 82 can be prevented from being deformed or damaged. Therefore, by adopting this configuration, the reliability of the power transmission mechanism 8 can be greatly improved.

(embodiment mode 2)

Fig. 8 and 9 are schematic side views showing the state of the skeleton structure of the main portion in the first and second usage states of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 2. The structure and operation of the vehicle seat 1B according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to fig. 8 and 9. Fig. 8 and 9 show a simplified skeleton structure of a main portion of the vehicle seat 1B.

As shown in fig. 8 and 9, a vehicle seat 1B of the present embodiment differs mainly in the structure of the leg link frame 60 and the structure of the leg link frame 60 assembled to the seat cushion frame 30, when compared with the vehicle seat 1A of embodiment 1 described above.

Specifically, in the vehicle seat 1B of the present embodiment, the front pipe 31F of the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30 is disposed at the upper portion of the front end portion of the main frame 31, and the base pipe 61 of the leg support frame 60 to which the first sector gear 81 is fixed is disposed at the lower portion of the front end portion of the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30. Therefore, the drive link 62a of the pantograph mechanism 62 of the leg support frame 60 is fixed to the first sector gear 81 via the base pipe 61 at a position corresponding to the lower portion of the front end portion of the main frame 31.

On the other hand, the configuration of the drive unit 7 (not shown in fig. 8 and 9) including the output shaft 70 and the configuration of the power transmission mechanism 8 including the pinion gear 80, the first sector gear 81, the second sector gear 82, the coupling shaft 83, the pair of

first coupling members

84L, 84R, and the pair of

second coupling members

85L, 85R are the same as those of the vehicle seat 1A according to embodiment 1.

Therefore, the output shaft 70 and the pinion gear 80 fixed to the output shaft 70 rotate by a predetermined amount in the forward direction (counterclockwise direction in fig. 8 and 9) about the fifth rotation shaft O5 as the rotation center, and accordingly, the first sector gear 81 rotates by a predetermined amount in the arrow a direction shown in fig. 9 about the fourth rotation shaft O4 as the rotation center, and the second sector gear 82 rotates by a predetermined amount in the arrow B direction shown in fig. 9 about the sixth rotation shaft O6 as the rotation center, whereby switching from the first use state shown in fig. 8 to the second use state shown in fig. 9 is realized.

Specifically, a rotational driving force is input to the leg rest frame 60 in accordance with the rotation of the first sector gear 81, and accordingly, the leg rest frame 60 rotates in the arrow C direction shown in fig. 9 about the fourth rotation axis O4 as a rotation center, and is deformed from the non-deployed state to the deployed state about the fourth rotation axis O4 as a base point, and as a result, the leg rest 6 moves from the storage position to the use position.

Further, as the second sector gear 82 rotates, rotational driving force is input to each of the sub-frame 32 and the base frame 20 of the seat cushion frame 30, and as a result, the sub-frame 32 rotates in the arrow D direction shown in fig. 9 with the second rotation shaft O2 as the rotation center, and the main frame 31 rotates in the arrow E direction shown in fig. 9 with the first rotation shaft O1 as the rotation center, and as a result, the seat cushion 3 moves from the first seating position to the second seating position, and the seat back 4 moves from the first reclining position to the second reclining position.

Although the detailed description thereof is omitted, the output shaft 70 and the pinion gear 80 fixed to the output shaft 70 are rotated by a predetermined amount in the reverse direction of the forward direction, and thereby the switching from the second use state shown in fig. 9 to the first use state shown in fig. 8 is performed. Here, the reverse direction is the clockwise direction in fig. 8 and 9.

Even in the case of the vehicle seat 1B of the present embodiment described above, substantially the same effects as those described in embodiment 1 can be obtained. That is, the vehicle seat 1B is excellent in the transmission efficiency of the driving force from the driving unit 7 to the leg rest 6, has an improved degree of design freedom compared to the conventional one, has an improved riding comfort, can suppress the forward slip of the occupant during deceleration of the vehicle, and can realize a complicated seat operation with a simple configuration.

(embodiment mode 3)

Fig. 10 and 11 are schematic side views showing the state of the skeleton structure of the main portion in the first and second usage states of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 3. The structure and operation of the vehicle seat 1C according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to fig. 10 and 11. In fig. 10 and 11, the skeleton structure of the main portion of the vehicle seat 1C is shown in a simplified manner.

As shown in fig. 10 and 11, the vehicle seat 1C of the present embodiment differs from the vehicle seat 1A of embodiment 1 described above mainly in the structure of the cushion frame 30 and the structure of the power transmission mechanism 8.

Specifically, in the vehicle seat 1C of the present embodiment, the cushion frame 30 includes the main frame 31 and the sub-frame 32, but the sub-frame 32 is not rotatably assembled to the main frame 31 but is immovably fixed to the main frame 31. Accordingly, the power transmission mechanism 8 does not include the first coupling member 84L that couples the second sector gear 82 and the side frame 32L of the sub-frame 32, and the first coupling member 84R that forms a pair with the first coupling member 84L.

On the other hand, the configuration of the drive unit 7 (not shown in fig. 10 and 11) including the output shaft 70 and the configuration of the power transmission mechanism 8 including the pinion gear 80, the first sector gear 81, the second sector gear 82, the coupling shaft 83, and the pair of

second coupling members

85L and 85R (that is, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism 8 except for the point that the pair of

first coupling members

84L and 84R are not provided) are the same as those of the vehicle seat 1A according to embodiment 1.

Therefore, the output shaft 70 and the pinion gear 80 fixed to the output shaft 70 rotate by a predetermined amount in the forward direction (counterclockwise direction in fig. 10 and 11) about the fifth rotation shaft O5, and accordingly, the first sector gear 81 rotates by a predetermined amount in the arrow a direction shown in fig. 11 about the fourth rotation shaft O4, and the second sector gear 82 rotates by a predetermined amount in the arrow B direction shown in fig. 11 about the sixth rotation shaft O6, thereby switching from the first use state shown in fig. 10 to the second use state shown in fig. 11.

Specifically, a rotational driving force is input to the leg rest frame 60 in accordance with the rotation of the first sector gear 81, and accordingly, the leg rest frame 60 rotates in the arrow C direction shown in fig. 11 about the fourth rotation axis O4 as a rotation center, and is deformed from the non-deployed state to the deployed state about the fourth rotation axis O4 as a base point, and as a result, the leg rest 6 moves from the storage position to the use position.

Further, a rotational driving force is input to the base frame 20 in accordance with the rotation of the second sector gear 82, and the main frame 31 rotates in the arrow E direction shown in fig. 11 about the first rotation shaft O1 as a rotation center, and as a result, the seat cushion 3 moves from the first seating position to the second seating position, and the seat back 4 moves from the first reclining position to the second reclining position.

Although the detailed description thereof is omitted, switching from the second use state shown in fig. 11 to the first use state shown in fig. 10 is performed by rotating the output shaft 70 and the pinion gear 80 fixed to the output shaft 70 by a predetermined amount in the reverse direction of the forward direction. Here, the reverse direction is the clockwise direction in fig. 10 and 11.

Even in the case of the vehicle seat 1C of the present embodiment described above, the effects according to the effects described in embodiment 1 can be obtained. That is, the vehicle seat 1C can be provided which has excellent transmission efficiency of the driving force from the driving portion 7 to the leg rest 6, has an improved degree of freedom in design compared to the conventional one, has an improved ride quality, can suppress the forward slip of the occupant during deceleration of the vehicle, and can realize a complicated seat operation with a simple configuration.

(embodiment mode 4)

Fig. 12 and 13 are schematic side views showing the state of the skeleton structure of the main portion in the first and second usage states of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 4. The structure and operation of the vehicle seat 1D according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to fig. 12 and 13. Fig. 12 and 13 show a skeleton structure of a main portion of the vehicle seat 1D in a simplified manner.

As shown in fig. 12 and 13, a vehicle seat 1D of the present embodiment differs from the vehicle seat 1A of embodiment 1 described above mainly in the structure of the power transmission mechanism 8 and the structure of the seat cushion frame 30 assembled to the base frame 20.

Specifically, in the vehicle seat 1D of the present embodiment, the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30 is not rotatably assembled to the base frame 20 but is immovably fixed to the base frame 20. Accordingly, the power transmission mechanism 8 does not include the second coupling member 85L that couples the second sector gear 82 and the side frame 20L of the base frame 20, and the second coupling member 85R that forms a pair with the second coupling member 85L.

On the other hand, the configuration of the drive unit 7 (not shown in fig. 12 and 13) including the output shaft 70 and the configuration of the power transmission mechanism 8 including the pinion gear 80, the first sector gear 81, the second sector gear 82, the coupling shaft 83, and the pair of

first coupling members

84L and 84R (that is, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism 8 except for the point that the pair of

second coupling members

85L and 85R are not provided) are the same as those of the vehicle seat 1A according to embodiment 1.

Therefore, the output shaft 70 and the pinion gear 80 fixed to the output shaft 70 rotate by a predetermined amount in the forward direction (counterclockwise direction in fig. 12 and 13) about the fifth rotation shaft O5, and accordingly, the first sector gear 81 rotates by a predetermined amount in the arrow a direction shown in fig. 13 about the fourth rotation shaft O4, and the second sector gear 82 rotates by a predetermined amount in the arrow B direction shown in fig. 13 about the sixth rotation shaft O6, thereby switching from the first use state shown in fig. 12 to the second use state shown in fig. 13.

Specifically, a rotational driving force is input to the leg rest frame 60 in accordance with the rotation of the first sector gear 81, and accordingly, the leg rest frame 60 rotates in the arrow C direction shown in fig. 13 about the fourth rotation axis O4 as a rotation center, and is deformed from the non-deployed state to the deployed state about the fourth rotation axis O4 as a base point, and as a result, the leg rest 6 moves from the storage position to the use position.

Further, a rotational driving force is input to the sub-frame 32 of the seat cushion frame 30 in accordance with the rotation of the second sector gear 82, and in accordance with this, the sub-frame 32 rotates in the arrow D direction shown in fig. 13 about the second rotation shaft O2 as a rotation center, and as a result, the seat cushion 3 moves from the first seating position to the second seating position. In addition, in the present embodiment, as described above, since the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30 is immovably fixed to the base frame 20, the seat back 4 is disposed at the first leaning position, which is the same as the first usage state shown in fig. 12, even in the second usage state shown in fig. 13.

Although the detailed description thereof is omitted, switching from the second use state shown in fig. 13 to the first use state shown in fig. 12 is performed by rotating the output shaft 70 and the pinion gear 80 fixed to the output shaft 70 by a predetermined amount in the reverse direction of the forward direction. Here, the reverse direction is the clockwise direction in fig. 12 and 13.

Even in the case of the vehicle seat 1D of the present embodiment described above, the effects in accordance with the effects described in embodiment 1 can be obtained. That is, the vehicle seat 1D can be provided which has excellent transmission efficiency of the driving force from the driving portion 7 to the leg rest 6, has an improved degree of freedom in design compared to the conventional one, has an improved ride quality, can suppress the forward slip of the occupant during deceleration of the vehicle, and can realize a complicated seat operation with a simple configuration.

(embodiment 5)

Fig. 14 and 15 are schematic side views showing the state of the skeleton structure of the main portion in the first and second usage states of the vehicle seat according to embodiment 5. The structure and operation of the vehicle seat 1E according to the present embodiment will be described below with reference to fig. 14 and 15. Fig. 14 and 15 show a simplified skeleton structure of a main portion of the vehicle seat 1E.

As shown in fig. 14 and 15, a vehicle seat 1E of the present embodiment differs mainly in the structure of the cushion frame 30, the structure of the seat cushion frame 30 assembled to the base frame 20, the structure of the power transmission mechanism 8, and the structure of the leg link frame 60 assembled to the cushion frame 30, when compared with the vehicle seat 1A of embodiment 1 described above.

Specifically, in the vehicle seat 1E of the present embodiment, the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30 is immovably fixed to the base frame 20, not rotatably assembled to the base frame 20. The leg rest frame 60 is rotatably attached to the front end of the sub-frame 32 of the cushion frame 30, not the front end of the main frame 31 of the cushion frame 30.

Accordingly, the driving unit 7 (not shown in fig. 14 and 15) is provided near the front end of the sub-frame 32 of the seat cushion frame 30, and the power transmission mechanism 8 is also provided at the front end of the sub-frame 32. Therefore, the first sector gear 81, the second sector gear 82, the coupling shaft 83, and the like of the power transmission mechanism 8 are rotatably supported by the sub-frame 32.

The power transmission mechanism 8 is provided with only a first coupling member 84L for coupling the second sector gear 82 to the main frame 31 so as to be able to transmit power and a first coupling member 84R paired with the first coupling member 84L, and is not provided with a second coupling member 85L for coupling the second sector gear 82 to the base frame 20 and a second coupling member 85R paired with the second coupling member 85L.

On the other hand, the configuration of the drive unit 7 including the output shaft 70 and the configuration of the power transmission mechanism 8 including the pinion gear 80, the first sector gear 81, the second sector gear 82, the coupling shaft 83, and the pair of

first coupling members

84L and 84R (i.e., the configuration of the power transmission mechanism 8 except for the point that the pair of

second coupling members

85L and 85R are not provided) are basically the same as those of the vehicle seat 1A according to embodiment 1.

Therefore, the output shaft 70 and the pinion gear 80 fixed to the output shaft 70 rotate by a predetermined amount in the forward direction (counterclockwise direction in fig. 14 and 15) about the fifth rotation shaft O5, and accordingly, the first sector gear 81 rotates by a predetermined amount in the arrow a direction shown in fig. 15 about the fourth rotation shaft O4, and the second sector gear 82 rotates by a predetermined amount in the arrow B direction shown in fig. 15 about the sixth rotation shaft O6, thereby switching from the first use state shown in fig. 14 to the second use state shown in fig. 15.

Specifically, a rotational driving force is input to the leg rest frame 60 in accordance with the rotation of the first sector gear 81, and accordingly, the leg rest frame 60 rotates in the arrow C direction shown in fig. 15 about the fourth rotation axis O4 as a rotation center, and is deformed from the non-deployed state to the deployed state about the fourth rotation axis O4 as a base point, and as a result, the leg rest 6 moves from the storage position to the use position.

Further, as the second sector gear 82 rotates, a rotational driving force is input to the main frame 31 of the seat cushion frame 30, and as a result, the sub-frame 32 rotates in the arrow D direction shown in fig. 15 about the second rotation shaft O2 as a rotation center, and as a result, the seat cushion 3 moves from the first seating position to the second seating position. In addition, in the present embodiment, as described above, since the main frame 31 of the seat cushion frame 30 is immovably fixed to the base frame 20, the seat back 4 is disposed at the first leaning position, which is the same as the first usage state shown in fig. 14, even in the second usage state shown in fig. 15.

Although the detailed description thereof is omitted, switching from the second use state shown in fig. 15 to the first use state shown in fig. 14 is performed by rotating the output shaft 70 and the pinion gear 80 fixed to the output shaft 70 by a predetermined amount in the reverse direction of the forward direction. Here, the reverse direction is the clockwise direction in fig. 14 and 15.

Even in the case of the vehicle seat 1E of the present embodiment described above, the effects in accordance with the effects described in embodiment 1 can be obtained. That is, the vehicle seat 1E can be provided which has excellent transmission efficiency of the driving force from the driving portion 7 to the leg rest 6, has an improved degree of freedom in design compared to the conventional one, has an improved ride quality, can suppress the forward slip of the occupant during deceleration of the vehicle, and can realize a complicated seat operation with a simple configuration.

(other means, etc.)

In the above embodiments 1 to 5, the description has been given by exemplifying the case where the vehicle seat is configured such that the power transmission mechanism is provided with the first sector gear used for rotation and deformation of the leg rest, the second sector gear used for rotation of the main portion of the vehicle seat other than the leg rest, the coupling shaft, the pair of left and right first coupling members, the pair of left and right second coupling members, and the like, in addition to the pinion gear fixed to the output shaft of the driving portion. In this case, the vehicle seat having excellent transmission efficiency of the driving force from the driving portion to the leg rest and having a degree of freedom in design higher than that of the conventional seat can be formed.

In addition, although the vehicle seat provided with the electric driving unit has been described as an example in embodiments 1 to 5, a vehicle seat provided with a manual driving unit instead of this may be used. In this case, the driving unit may be configured such that the occupant operates an operation unit including an operation lever or the like to generate a rotational driving force of the output shaft by a spring or the like as a driving source.

In addition, in embodiments 1 to 5, the case where the characteristic structure of the present disclosure is applied to a vehicle seat configured as a seat of an automobile is exemplified and described, but the characteristic structure of the present disclosure can also be applied to any vehicle seat such as a seat provided in a ship, an airplane, an electric train, or the like.

The disclosure above is summarized as follows.

In the vehicle seat according to the aspect of the present disclosure, the first sector gear is connected to a drive link of the pantograph mechanism, the rotational driving force generated in the output shaft is transmitted to the drive link by the pinion gear and the first sector gear, and the leg link is rotated and deformed based on the input of the rotational driving force to the drive link.

With this configuration, the power transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational driving force generated by the output shaft of the driving section to the drive link of the pantograph mechanism included in the leg link frame can be configured by a so-called gear mechanism for transmitting the rotational motion as it is. Therefore, compared to the case where the power transmission mechanism is configured by the feed screw mechanism, not only the motion transmission efficiency is dramatically improved, but also the degree of freedom in installation of the power transmission mechanism can be significantly improved. Therefore, the vehicle seat can be formed with excellent transmission efficiency of the driving force from the driving portion to the leg rest and with a degree of freedom in design improved over the conventional one.

The vehicle seat according to the aspect of the present disclosure may further include any one of the following first to fourth aspects.

In a first aspect, the seat cushion frame includes: a main frame assembled to the base and rotatably supporting the leg support frame; and a sub-frame assembled to the main frame. The main frame is supported by the base to be rotatable so that a front end portion and a rear end portion of the seat cushion can swing up and down, and the sub-frame is supported by the main frame to be rotatable so that a front end portion of the seat cushion can swing up and down. The first sector gear is rotatably supported by the main frame, and the power transmission mechanism further includes a second sector gear rotatably supported by the main frame and meshed with the pinion gear.

In the first aspect, the second sector gear is coupled to the sub-frame, the rotational driving force generated by the output shaft is transmitted to the sub-frame by the pinion gear and the second sector gear, and the sub-frame is rotated based on the input of the rotational driving force to the sub-frame, thereby swinging the front end portion of the seat cushion up and down.

In a second aspect, the seat cushion frame is supported by the base so as to be rotatable and so that a front end portion and a rear end portion of the seat cushion can swing up and down. The first sector gear is rotatably supported by the seat cushion frame, and the power transmission mechanism further includes a second sector gear rotatably supported by the seat cushion frame and meshed with the pinion gear.

In the second aspect, the seat cushion is configured such that the second sector gear is coupled to the base, the rotational driving force generated by the output shaft is transmitted to the base by the pinion gear and the second sector gear, and the seat cushion frame is configured to pivot based on a reaction force of the rotational driving force input to the base, thereby swinging the front end portion and the rear end portion of the seat cushion up and down.

In a third aspect, the seat cushion frame includes: a main frame assembled to the base and rotatably supporting the leg support frame; and a sub-frame assembled to the main frame. The sub-frame is supported by the main frame so as to be rotatable and so that a front end portion of the seat cushion can swing up and down. The first sector gear is rotatably supported by the main frame, and the power transmission mechanism further includes a second sector gear rotatably supported by the main frame and meshed with the pinion gear.

In the third aspect, the second sector gear is coupled to the sub-frame, the rotational driving force generated at the output shaft is transmitted to the sub-frame by the pinion gear and the second sector gear, and the sub-frame is configured to swing up and down the front end portion of the seat cushion by being rotated based on the rotational driving force input to the sub-frame.

In a fourth aspect, the seat cushion frame includes: a main frame assembled to the base; and a sub-frame assembled to the main frame and rotatably supporting the leg support frame. The sub-frame is supported by the main frame so as to be rotatable and so that a front end portion of the seat cushion can swing up and down. The first sector gear is rotatably supported by the sub-frame, and the power transmission mechanism further includes a second sector gear rotatably supported by the sub-frame and meshed with the pinion gear.

In the fourth aspect, the second sector gear is coupled to the main frame, the rotational driving force generated by the output shaft is transmitted to the main frame via the pinion gear and the second sector gear, and the sub-frame is configured to swing up and down the front end portion of the seat cushion by being rotated based on a reaction force of the rotational driving force input to the main frame.

In the vehicle seat further including any one of the first to fourth aspects, the main portion of the vehicle seat except the leg link can be rotated in conjunction with the deformation and rotation of the leg link by the driving unit for driving the leg link and a part of the power transmission mechanism without providing a separate driving unit. Therefore, the deformation and rotation of the leg rest and the rotation of the main portion of the vehicle seat can be performed only by using a single driving portion, and as a result, a complicated operation of the vehicle seat can be realized with a simple configuration.

Further, with the vehicle seat further including any one of the first to fourth aspects, when the leg rest is moved from the non-deployed state to the deployed state, the front end portion of the seat cushion is rotated so as to be raised. Therefore, the occurrence of a gap (mainly a gap occurring below the knees of the user) between the leg of the user and the vehicle seat can be suppressed when the leg support is used. As a result, concentration of pressure on the seating surface of the portion supporting the buttocks of the user can be reduced, and not only is the riding comfort improved, but also forward slip of the user can be suppressed during deceleration of the vehicle and the like even when the legs of the user are lifted from the floor surface by use of the leg supporter.

Here, in the case where any one of the first to fourth aspects is provided, it is preferable that the rotation axis of the output shaft, the rotation axis of the first sector gear, and the rotation axis of the second sector gear are located on the same plane.

With this configuration, since the load applied from the first sector gear and the second sector gear to the pinion gear can be balanced, the power transmission mechanism including the pinion gear, the first sector gear, and the second sector gear can be prevented from being deformed or damaged. Therefore, by adopting this configuration, the reliability of the power transmission mechanism can be greatly improved.

The vehicle seat according to the aspect of the present disclosure may further include a seat back provided with a reclining surface. In this case, the seat back may have a back frame that constitutes a framework of the seat back and is assembled to a rear end portion of the seat cushion frame, and further, in this case, it is preferable that the back frame be supported by the seat cushion frame so as to be rotatable so that a front end portion of the seat back can swing back and forth.

With this configuration, only the seat back can be rotated independently relative to the seat cushion, and therefore the reclining angle can be adjusted, and a vehicle seat that is comfortable to sit on and convenient to use can be formed. In the case of a vehicle seat having a seat back provided at a rear end portion of a seat cushion and further having any one of the first and second aspects, when the leg rest is shifted from the non-deployed state to the deployed state, a main portion of the vehicle seat including the seat cushion and the seat back is rotated rearward at the same time, and thus a front end portion of the seat cushion is raised and the seat back is tilted rearward. Therefore, when the leg rest is used, the user can take a posture closer to the supine posture, and a more comfortable posture can be achieved.

In the vehicle seat according to the aspect of the present disclosure, the driving unit may include an electric motor that rotates the output shaft.

With this configuration, since both the deformation and the rotation of the leg link can be electrically driven, the vehicle seat can be more conveniently used than a case where the leg link is configured by a manual type.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described, but the embodiments disclosed herein are not intended to be limiting in all respects. The scope of the present invention is disclosed by the claims, and includes all modifications within the meaning and range equivalent to the claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle seat is characterized by comprising:

a base provided on a floor of a vehicle;

a seat cushion provided with a seating surface;

a leg support member provided with a leg-carrying surface; and

a drive unit provided with an output shaft capable of outputting rotational drive force in each of a forward direction and a reverse direction; and

a power transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotational driving force generated by the output shaft,

the seat cushion has a cushion frame constituting a framework of the seat cushion and assembled to the base,

the leg support has a leg support frame constituting a skeleton thereof and assembled to a front end portion of the cushion frame,

the leg rest frame having a pantograph mechanism capable of deforming the leg rest between a deployed state and a non-deployed state, and being supported by the seat cushion frame so as to be rotatable to enable the leg rest to rotate,

the power transmission mechanism includes: a pinion gear fixed to the output shaft; and a first sector gear rotatably supported by the cushion frame and meshed with the pinion gear,

the vehicle seat is connected to a drive link of the pantograph mechanism via the first sector gear, and the rotational driving force generated at the output shaft is transmitted to the drive link via the pinion gear and the first sector gear, and the leg link is rotated and deformed based on the input of the rotational driving force to the drive link.

2. The vehicle seat according to claim 1,

the seat cushion frame has: a main frame assembled to the base and rotatably supporting the leg support frame; and a sub-frame assembled to the main frame,

the main frame is supported by the base to be rotatable so that a front end portion and a rear end portion of the seat cushion can swing up and down,

the sub-frame is supported by the main frame so as to be rotatable so that a front end portion of the seat cushion can swing up and down,

the first sector gear is rotatably supported by the main frame,

the power transmission mechanism further has a second sector gear rotatably supported by the main frame and meshed with the pinion gear,

the vehicle seat is configured such that the second sector gear is connected to the sub-frame, the rotational driving force generated by the output shaft is transmitted by the pinion gear and the second sector gear and is input to the sub-frame, the sub-frame rotates based on the input of the rotational driving force to the sub-frame, and thereby the front end portion of the seat cushion swings up and down, and the second sector gear is connected to the base, the rotational driving force generated by the output shaft is transmitted by the pinion gear and the second sector gear and is input to the base, and the main frame rotates based on a reaction force of the input of the rotational driving force to the base, and thereby the front end portion and the rear end portion of the seat cushion swing up and down.

3. The vehicle seat according to claim 1,

the seat cushion frame is supported by the base so as to be rotatable and so that a front end portion and a rear end portion of the seat cushion can swing up and down,

the first sector gear is rotatably supported by the seat cushion frame,

the power transmission mechanism further has a second sector gear rotatably supported by the seat cushion frame and meshed with the pinion gear,

the vehicle seat is configured such that the second sector gear is connected to the base, the rotational driving force generated by the output shaft is transmitted to the base by the pinion gear and the second sector gear, and the seat cushion frame is rotated by a reaction force based on the input of the rotational driving force to the base, thereby swinging the front end portion and the rear end portion of the seat cushion up and down.

4. The vehicle seat according to claim 1,

the first sector gear is rotatably supported by the main frame,

the vehicle seat is configured such that the second sector gear is connected to the sub-frame, the rotational driving force generated by the output shaft is transmitted by the pinion gear and the second sector gear and is input to the sub-frame, and the sub-frame is rotated based on the input of the rotational driving force to the sub-frame, thereby swinging the front end portion of the seat cushion up and down.

5. The vehicle seat according to claim 1,

the seat cushion frame has: a main frame assembled to the base; and a sub-frame assembled to the main frame and rotatably supporting the leg support frame,

the first sector gear is rotatably supported by the sub-frame,

the power transmission mechanism further has a second sector gear rotatably supported by the sub-frame and meshed with the pinion gear,

the vehicle seat is configured such that the second sector gear is connected to the main frame, the rotational driving force generated by the output shaft is transmitted by the pinion gear and the second sector gear and is input to the main frame, and the sub-frame is rotated based on a reaction force of the rotational driving force input to the main frame, thereby swinging the front end portion of the seat cushion up and down.

6. The vehicle seat according to any one of claims 2 to 5,

the rotating shaft of the output shaft, the rotating shaft of the first sector gear and the rotating shaft of the second sector gear are located on the same plane.

7. The vehicle seat according to claim 1,

the vehicle seat further comprises a seat back provided with a leaning surface,

the seat back has a back frame constituting a framework of the seat back and assembled to a rear end portion of the seat cushion frame,

the back frame is supported by the seat cushion frame so as to be rotatable so that a front end portion of the seat back can swing back and forth.

8. The vehicle seat according to claim 1,

the drive unit includes an electric motor for rotating the output shaft.